The biggest pressure Meghan will face in her royal duties following the wedding

By Abigail Malbon| 2 years ago

Meghan Markle will be taking on more royal duties following her wedding to Prince Harry

She’s taken the pressures of royal life in her stride, and has won millions of fans and supporters as reward; but Meghan Markle’s royal duties are only just beginning.

The former Hollywood actress, who’s about to take on the biggest role of her life as wife to Prince Harry, will be a fully-fledged working royal after she is made a Duchess... but will the pedestal she’s been placed on by her fans be kicked from under her?

We spoke exclusively with 9Honey royal correspondent Victoria Arbiter, who warned that the biggest challenge Meghan will face as a royal is living up to her own reputation.

“People love to call a new royal ‘a breath of fresh air’,” Victoria explains. “It’s what Diana was, it’s what Fergie was, it’s what Kate was... it’s inevitable, but it sets quite a high bar.”

Thankfully, Meghan has someone to look to for advice - someone who’s been there, done that, and is still happily wearing the t-shirt.

“I think this role is going to be quite similar to what we saw with Kate,” Victoria admits. “The only difference is that Meghan is going to be thrust right into it whereas Kate was eased in.”

Meghan and Kate are said to be getting along very well

Not only was Kate much younger when she married, but Prince William was still working as an RAF search and rescue pilot, meaning the couple were able to live a fairly quiet life following their wedding.

However, Victoria thinks being thrown into royal duties will be no big deal for confident Meghan.

“Meghan is an independently successful woman who’s had a significant career, and I don’t think she wants to sit around and learn the ropes, she wants to get stuck into it.

“She’s not been shy about speaking over the top of Harry or extending her hand before he does, which I think Kate would never have done...but that’s also because of the nature of the position. It’s very different to be married to the future king versus sixth-in-line to the throne."

While there’s less royal pressure on Prince Harry (who will never be king) compared to his older brother, he and Meghan were always going to break the mould.

The couple have been extremely tactile together during public appearances, and while their displays of affection have mostly been met by swoons from the public, some people have pointed out that it isn’t exactly usual royal protocol.

Victoria says that, as the couple begin to attend more royal engagements, they may start to be less physically affectionate in a bid to focus the public on their work.

“I think post-wedding we may see more of the hand-holding, but it may start to ease depending on the type of event, because that’s not always appropriate,” she says.

Another potential for controversy is Meghan’s political interests; she’s made no secret of the fact that she supports women’s rights and worked for a number of charities before her engagement to Prince Harry was announced.

“For royals it’s all about balance; when it comes to their causes, when it comes to politics,” Victoria explains. “The royal family is not allowed to get involved in politics, simply because it starts to really muddy the area where you have an unelected family, the head of which is the head of state.

“Meghan has made it no secret that she fully supports gender equality, the empowerment of women, feminism. But there is a way to champion those causes without it being political.”

And with her charm, confidence and sunny personality, it seems unlikely that Meghan will be anything but the perfect royal.